About Asperger's

Asperger's Syndrome was recognized as early as 1944, and started to gain attention in the 1980s as the diagnosis was made more clear. It has only been a topic in Taiwan for the last five years. It is a subcategory of "pervasive developmental disorders" along with others such as autism and Rett Disorder. International surveys estimate that it affects up to four out of 1000. There are no clear figures for Taiwan, but Chiu Yan-nan, a child psychologist at National Taiwan University, says that it seems to be becoming more and more prevalent.

Asperger's does not cause low intelligence or impair learning, but it does impair children's ability to adjust to society and thereby slows development. "It's that they can't, not that they don't try, and yelling at them will only make matters worse," Chiu advises parents and teachers.

The book Asperger Syndrome-Practical Strategies for the Classroom: A Teacher's Guide, by Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council, which was translated into Chinese by Yang Tsung-ren, director of National Taipei Teachers' College's special education center, says that Asperger's children have three core impairments: impaired social interaction, impaired communication, and inflexibility in thinking.

Asperger's Syndrome children are very sensitive about their personal space, and don't like to be around others. This leads to poor social manners, such as avoiding eye contact.

In communication, they have difficulty understanding how to ask for help or look out for their own interests. Their voices often lack expression, and they have difficulty controlling their volume and tone.

Their ways of thinking and imaginations are also often rigid. They like consistency, and feel stress and cry at the slightest change.

Some believe that Asperger's is merely another name for what used to be called "high-functioning autism." Others think it is just an invented excuse for what is really "bad personality."

"The line between character and disorder has always been unclear," says Chiu. It's all shades of gray.

Unfortunately, as yet there is no set course of treatment for Asperger's. One can only patiently accept it and deal with it throughout one's life. The course of its development is also different from patient to patient. For some, it is more severe in childhood and improves with age, but for others it is the opposite.

Chiu says that those who deal with Asperger's children, must accept the child's different way of thinking, and understand that it is less flexible. Only then can they be of assistance. For example, Asperger's children cannot deal with the pressure of time, so some schools give them unlimited time to complete tests and allow them to do their best with a relaxed mind. This way, the children's disability does not become a barrier to their relationship with their teachers.